Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-02-17
JUDGE WILLIS Case.
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county, thought Judge Willis reputation
was good. He had seen him around
drinking with gamblers and sporting
men, but there was no distinction i'll these
days, everybody associated together and
the Judge was no exception to the rest of
the people. The peace and order of the
frontier had chsnged for the better since
Judge Willis went to the Panhandle. He
had always considered him good judge.
N. F. Lock, District and County Clerk
of Wheeler county, had known Judge
Willis since the fall of 1881. His repuua-
ton was considered good. He always
associated with the best people of his
county. He never heard any one charge
him with immoral conduct. Jim Nc
Intyre was a noted gambler living at
Mobeetie, said to have been the partner
at one time of Jim COPYRIGHT of Fort
Worth. heard that Judge Willis went
over to the Tascoss court in the same
buggy with Mcintyre. l have
seen Judge Willis in q saloon
and have heard him tell
some of the boys to shake dice for him.
l never saw him gamble himself. l don't
think he ever associated with low down
gamblers When the gamblers were
| fined last fall st Mobetie
all were convicted except McIn-
tyre, and he was acquitted, because the
charge was not proved by the District
Attorney.
District Attorney W. H. Woodman had
served one term prior to his present term,
and attended all the courts with Judge
Willis. He had to help to write out the
| indictments in the illegal land Enclosure
cases. He told Goodnight, one of the
commissioners, that it would be cheaper
for the county to furnish him clerks. He
said he would speak to County Judge
White about it. They furnished five
clerks the first two or three days, and
seven clerks the last two days. He told
the foreman of the grand jury he could
sign indictments against himself, or not
sign them, just as he pleased. He
afterward told Judge Willis about
it. l told the grand Jury if they did
not lind bills for unlawful Enclosures,
would have to TO compel them. | eX-
amined some witnesses, but could not
find where there were any entire in
closures. Goodnight fenced three sides
of the lands and the ,caprock of Palo
Duro canyon formed the fourth side of
the Enclosure. The first case tried before
petit jury was Goodnight's. 1t
was submitted to them on agreed
statements of the counsel. The
defense admitted the Enclosures, and the
| state that the cattle men had made ten
der of cents for the lease of the lands.
| He made arguments to the juries, and
Judge Willis charged them with the law.
The defendants asked for special charges
on the ConstitutlonalitY of the law, but
were refused. Some of the defendants
were tried in their absence. In each case
| waved their presence and allowed the
counsel to represent them. | don't
know whether Judge Willis knew of the
| defendants's ABSENCE. At the July term
Judge Willis asked me to dismiss the re-
naming cases. | refused because the
Attorney-General forced me to prosecute.
The officers of the Panhandle Stock Asso-
citation agreed to give me bonus of
$4,000 if l would accept the office of
District Attorney. | did so and
at the January term after the
| Enclosure trials were over Goodnight paid
me STOPS of the bonus money by giving
me a check on the treasurer of the asso-
citation, but there being no money in the
treasury at that time and being afraid
| that they might elect new officers
opposed to me, | traded it out
with Goodnight and Tom Buggy,
another member of the association.
Goodnight turned the check into the as
ISOLATION in payment of his dues. l told
the CLERK to read the verdict of guilty
against Clip Brown to play joke on him.
Judge Willis always attended to his bust
ness and bore good reputation. | told
Goodnight once that he ought to make
Judge Willis present of gold watch
and chain, as he had made & good Judge,
and if he leaned any wsy it was towards
the state. | never told Judge
Willis about it until four
or five months atterward. He said lie
would have appreciated il, but the watch
was never given him. During one time
in Tascosa Judge Willis cut the cards for
a man who was playing in saloon, who
said he could have no luck until the
Judge cut them for him. Judge Willis
has about broken up gambling in Mobee-
tie. If all the Cattlemen and their en-
ployes were excluded it would be q hard
matter to get up jury, although jury
might be gathered without them.
Mr.. Allen, one Of the jurymen, said
that no one ever approached him relative
to his verdict. He rendered an honest
and conscientious verdict. He always
heard Judge Willis spoken of as al hon
est, upright Judge. He sat on thirty or
forty cases.
l.. c. Price, deputy sheriff and hide in
spector at Tascosa, said Judge Willis
bore good reputation. l have seen him
in saloon where gambling was going on,
but l never saw him take any part in the
games. Most of the people gamble out
there.
Jim Mcintyre said he was a
gambler. He travelled from Mobeetie
to Tascosa in the same buggy with
Judge Willis. They divided expenses.
He was appointed deputy sheriff at Tas-
cosa. Judge Willis stopped the gambling
at Mobeetie. l saw him in saloon in
Tascosa where gambling was going on.
He never interfered with it or ordered me
to. The people all consider him an up
right judge.
Captain George Arlington, Sheriff of
Wheeler county-There is no gambling
carried on in Mobeetie now. After
the imprisonment act went into force
Judge Willis, with the assistance
of myself and the deputies and the Justice
of the Peace broke up the gambling.
Judge Willis bears q good reputation. and